The Shadow
by I am a Ridaa
Summary: There are some things you didn't know about what happened in the movie. Penelope is just a shadow in the scene; almost literally. What are things she's been doing? ((in need of reviews))
1. Descendants

**The Shadow**

* * *

 **Unfortunately, this is just a oneshot. These are just series of my OC within the movie. I'm going to do something different and make it be that she doesn't meet the four main characters. Her story in the movie is, I have to say, rather different from anyone else. There's also slight Carlos x OC, but just slight xP Also, don't expect much main characters. If anything, this could be a real story if I let it. But no, I don't own Disney. I wish I worked for it tho…**

 **Enjoy reading~**

* * *

 _I was there when they arrived._

 _I was there when they plotted their plan._

 _I was there…_

… _when they changed._

 _I was just like my father. Because they didn't know I even existed._

* * *

" _Excuse me? Good morning Auradon Prep."_

The moment I heard Ben, I looked up from my little chat with Lonnie and turned to the PO. Everyone else in the hallway turned to pay attention to the king-to-be's voice. There was a bit of a pause, as if the prince wanted to make sure everyone was listening.

" _I would like to make an important announcement."_

Whispers started to sound out. I looked at everyone else in the halls and they seemed to have assumed this would be good. "I wonder what this is all about," Lonnie whispered excitedly.

I had to chuckle a bit as I crossed my arms. "I'm sure it'll be awesome…"

" _As you know, my father, King Beast, banished all the villains in the land of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost."_

This caused everyone to burst into cheers.

" _Hold, on, hold on. Now I've come to realize the descendants of these villains who, up until now, have lived in the shadow of their parents' wrongdoing. They deserve a chance to determine a path of their own."_

The whispers grew louder.

" _Which is why, as my first royal decree, I've decided to invite four students from the Isle of the Lost to Auradon Prep this year."_

The whispers immediately died down. I could've sworn I heard a pin drop. Or rather, Chad Charming's backpack.

" _Now I'm sure you have questions…"_

Almost instantly, the whispers turned into complaints.

" _OK, now let's all quiet down!_ _They will be attending our classes, follow our schedules, and hopefully, will be taught how to do good. I highly request that everyone here would treat them as an equal…we would want them to feel at home, if they were to be a part of this school."_ There was a harsh clearing of the throat. _"That is all. Thank you."_

With that, the PO switched off.

Once everyone shook the thought away, I turned back to Lonnie with a big smile. "Well, look at that," I chirped happily. "Awesome, right?"

"Are you _kidding,_ Penelope?" Lonnie practically exploded. "Children of villains coming _here?_ That's the total _opposite_ of awesome!"

"Come on, Lon. I'm sure Ben has a completely logical reason for bringing them here."

Mulan's daughter only scoffed. "Sure. Like giving them a _chance_ to try and destroy us?"

"Hey. Ben has good intentions. If it makes you feel any better, I'll go talk to him."

Her raised eyebrow was enough of an answer. Before she could say anything more, I gave her a smirk and whirled around to walk away. I heard her laugh lightly, but I continued to move.

As I was running, I managed to say a few hellos over to some people I passed. They waved and smiled back when they saw me off. Some barely saw I was even there. It was my nature to just be up and gone like a flash, without anyone aware of my presence. Being the daughter of Peter Pan probably did that to me.

Putting that aside, I stopped running when I found Auradon's Prince Benjamin leaving the announcing room. I smirked at seeing the far-off look on his face and casually came up to him. He didn't even notice I was there.

"Hey, Benny."

Ben quickly turned to his left but was surprised to find nobody. When he turned to his right, he jolted back when he saw me, and I restricted myself from completely collapsing on the floor in hilarity once seeing his staggered expression. As I laughed at him, he quickly recovered and laughed with me anyway. "Hi, Pen!"

"Your Highness." I bowed to him in a jocular manner, and he laughed again.

"Please. No need for that."

I smiled politely as I stood straight and crossed my arms. "So…about your little…surprise."

"Oh! Good, people heard it."

"Heard it? People are talking about it now. People are _worried_ about it. What are you thinking, Ben? Are you _trying_ to put the school in danger?"

I almost felt guilty when I saw his hurt expression. "Every time I look out the window, I can't help feeling like we abandoned them in the island. We don't know if the villains' children are innocent. Wouldn't you like to find out?" When I didn't respond, he looked into my brown eyes sternly. "Hey. There's nothing to worry about. We'll be teaching them how to be good, anyway. And besides…I gave _you_ a chance, didn't I?"

All right. He hit a sore subject there. After my father had decided he wanted to have a job that involved traveling the world, I was left to fend for myself around school. He had a talk with Ben's parents and convinced them to let me live there. At a young age, I was already a student at Auradon Prep. I also had to thank Ben for that, because he was there when his parents were deciding my fate. He was like the big brother I never had.

So that last statement made me groan up at him. "OK. Whatever. I trust you, so I guess having them here wouldn't be so bad."

Ben's face immediately lit up at that. "Great. Hey, want to join Audrey and me in welcoming them to the school? They'll be arriving any minute now."

I instantly shrugged my shoulders. "Nah, I'm good. You and your girlfriend should go welcome them together. I'll be within the crowd."

He chuckled. "Like a shadow?"

"More like a lost one." I gave him a smile and we did a "low-five". "I'll see you two afterwards."

Ben nodded. "See you."

We then walked our separate ways. When he was completely out of sight, my playful smile melted into a frown. Now, I could only pray to Neverland the new king was making the right choice about all this…

* * *

Outside, all the students put on fake smiles as they waved to the incoming limo. Being the polite person I am (scoff), I waved an Auradon Prep flag along with them. The band was playing the welcoming song, as the black vehicle pulled up towards the entrance. Ben seemed to be pretty happy as he walked with Audrey and the Fairy Godmother up to meet the new kids. I stifled a yawn, seeing as I've been standing there for almost forever, but was immediately snapped awake when I heard the screaming.

" _You got everything else! Why do you want whatever this is?!"_

" _Because you want it!"_

Was there fighting? Now that's something I'd like to see. I practically climbed over the person in front of me just to get a closer look at the new students.

There were four of them. Two girls and two guys. As the Fairy Godmother talked with them, I did a quick examination. One of the girls was blue-haired and dressed rather fashionably. Judging by the heart-with-a-crown-on-it-shaped necklace around her neck, she was the daughter of the Evil Queen. She was rather pretty, I had to admit. Meanwhile, there's me. I'm pretty sure she'd chase me down with a makeup kit if we ever met.

The first boy had long hair and wore a beanie. First time I saw him, he seemed to have gotten every technical object he could find in the limousine. His disappointed look wasn't hidden when the Headmistress told him to put it all back. Based on the muscles on his biceps and the devilish look he had, he deemed to be the "bad boy" type. From that snake sign on the back of his vest I saw when he turned around, I immediately thought 'son of Jafar'.

The second girl looked like a person I would want for a best friend. Her hair was purple, her clothes were stylish (and may I add, my type) and her eyes held a fierce, leader-like look in them. She appeared like she was the kind that was good at assessing situations. I immediately liked her, and assumed she was the daughter of Maleficent.

The last boy caught my eye though. His hair was white, and so were his clothes, which held a mix of black and red with them too. He was the easiest guess, for everyone could tell by the colors he was Cruella de Vil's son. But, even still, he didn't appear at all like his mother. The boy had chocolate all over his mouth, as if he'd never tasted the sweet before. I could tell by then he was the innocent, weak-willed type. At the same time, he looked like a really smart person. I admit, I thought he was rather cute, in his own dorky way. But at the moment, I tried not to focus _too_ much on him.

I later realized everyone else had left by then. I had only assumed they were going back to their classes. But I didn't want to leave. I never liked learning anyway. I stuck around just to see Ben give them a short tour of campus. It only ended as they were about to go inside, which was rather disappointing. The four kids followed him, and I trailed right behind them, but not fully. It was rather confusing for me. As Ben gave them some instructions, I just sighed to myself and slumped against Ben's father's statue.

What was wrong? I'm usually friendly with others and would like to make friends real quick. But when it comes to these four…I can't seem to get the courage to stand up to them. Was it because they were children of villains? No, that can't be it. I don't usually judge at first sight. But now, by just looking at these four kids, I could almost hear my heart telling me something was up.

Out of frustration and boredom, I clapped my hands, and the statue turned back into King Beast.

Ben and Audrey came out pretty soon after. I straightened myself and forced myself to smile. "Hey, guys," I greeted. "All is well?"

"All is well," Ben confirmed. "Doug's gonna assist them around."

"Cool…so, what are their names?"

"Jay, Evie, Carlos, and Mal."

"Jafar, Evil Queen, Cruella, Maleficent."

Ben scoffed. "Lucky guesses?"

"Pretty much."

"Hey, why don't you help him? Doug, I mean. Get to know the kids?"

For some reason, I shook my head. "I'm good, thanks. I'll just help whenever. I don't feel like talking right now."

Audrey suddenly began to laugh. "Penelope Pan, not wanting to make any friends? That's a first."

I gave her a half-smile, nodding only slightly. "Yeah, Audrey…I can choose my friends."

"It's not because they're children of—"

"Villains?" I gave a light laugh as I cut Ben off. "No, of course not. I just…don't want to get in their way yet…know what I mean?"

Before either of the two could respond, I showed one last smile before walking away and leaving them. Again.

I then found Doug looking like he was silently cursing himself for forgetting something, and I quickly walked over. "Yo! Doug."

"Oh, hi Pen," The son of Dopey looked at me with a polite expression.

"The new kids all settled in?"

"Sort of. They're in their dorms now. Plan on meeting them?"

I only shrugged. "A shadow doesn't really speak." The confused look he had on then made me grin. "I'll see you later. Maybe I'll talk to the new kids then."

"Uh, sure…"

I walked past him and headed over to my dorm. What I said was true, though…I may be friendly, but I'm like a shadow. Sometimes, I'm there, sometimes I'm not. Sometimes you acknowledge, and at times, it's like I'm invisible.

But this isn't about me.

* * *

"Hey, Chad," I called out, knocking on the boy's dorm door. The son of Cinderella looked up from a video game he was playing on TV and took the time to turn to me.

"Hey, Penny," he greeted with that charming smile of his. He paused his game and walked over. I only rolled my eyes and held up a folder.

"Your chemistry homework? Mr. Delay said you left it on your seat."

That earned a groan. "I was hoping he'd think I didn't _know_ there was homework."

I snorted. "Yeah, right, like that's going to work." I shoved the folder in his chest. "Shame you don't have anyone to do the homework _for_ you."

Chad nodded sadly, but then slightly lit up as he looked at me.

"Don't even think about it. By the way, Tourney practice tomorrow, K?"

"At least _that_ I remember."

I raised an eyebrow, as if saying "You sure?" and gave a mischievous smile as I left the room. Boys. You can never tell what's going on in their heads.

As I walked down the boys' hall to my own room, I suddenly saw a dorm door open. Mal's head poked right out of it. Now, a girl shouldn't be in the boys' dorms, right? It must've been Carlos' and Jay's room. When Mal inspected the hall, she didn't even bother looking towards her right and just made sure the coast was clear on her left. "Come on!" I heard her say.

As she ran out, Jay came out as well, who was then followed by Evie. I froze again, but only before I went to hide behind the door before anyone could know I was in the hall. Mal had realized the fourth member of their group wasn't there and instantly hissed, "Carlos!"

"Coming!" The white-haired boy was struggling to put his jacket back on as he ran after his friends. Once he was out of the hall, I left the shelter of the dorm door and quickly tried running after them. It was hard to do just that and conceal at the same time, though. I later found out that they were now taking their running to the outer areas of the school. It had only come to my realization then that they were sneaking out somewhere.

My only question was where.

* * *

I couldn't stop thinking about where the four went last night. I'm guessing they didn't want to try out an Auradon-themed club. My instincts were right, and they were planning something. I seemed to be losing my train of thought that day because I soon found myself bumping into them then.

For a moment, it was scary. I thought it would be a good time to talk. But I started to freeze up again, and couldn't bring myself to speak. My questionable nerves forced me to avoid the action once again.

"Sorry," I mumbled, sliding past.

When the group turned to their left, I was already in front of them and long gone away. This caused the four to be confused at where I was, and that's just how I wanted it to be. I was on my way to my favorite class that day, after all.

Gym was my best subject. Mostly because I could practically choose what I wanted to do for it. And every single time we had Gym, I would accomplish the obstacle course. Most boys and princes would use it more often than the princesses would, but this girl right here is different. I loved the obstacle course, and I completed it every time, always making sure my time today would be better than the last. That day, I was exceptionally taking all my anger and frustration out on every move I made. Luckily, all that antagonism paid off.

"6.89 seconds?" Coach Jenkins gasped. "Pan, you sure you feeling all right? You gotta lay it off a bit there!"

"Got it, Coach," I mumbled, forcing a nod.

One of my many friends, Jane, Fairy Godmother's daughter, walked up to me. "Penelope? Are you sure you're OK?"

When I looked at the girl's innocent little face, I had to soften up and smile a bit. "Is it that obvious?" She nodded briefly. "Ah, well…it's nothing too major, really. You don't have to worry about me." A sudden realization came to my head to avoid the conversation. "Oh, hey, your Mom has to sign that slip about the early dismissal for the coronation, right?"

Jane's blue eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" She then frowned. "She's teaching the Remedial Goodness class, right?"

"Yeah, the one with the villain kids."

"Oh no." What one could've done to see her terrified expression. "You know what? I don't want to remind her. You go do it instead."

I laughed at her nervousness, but I also felt the need to counter. "No way! You're her daughter. Woman up, Jane, face those four with pride!"

"That's what I'm trying _not_ to do."

"Well, I'm definitely not taking your place, so good luck!"

" _Penelope—"_

Before she could say anything, I gave a little cheer and took off to the girls' showers.

* * *

"Here Dude! Come on!"

The campus mutt barked when it saw me and immediately started running. I laughed as I held my arms out, and he instantly jumped into them. I continued to laugh as the pup licked my face, appearing cheerful to see me. The cheerleaders on the field "aww"ed at us, even though me hanging out with the dog was practically a daily routine.

Out of all my friends in Auradon, Dude was my favorite. I grew up loving animals and nature after all, so being with the little puppy really made me just as happy as him. Frankly, I was pretty sure I was the only one in school that bothered to play with him, or even give a dog treat. Dude would always watch the Tourney games with me, and we would just sit in the bleachers quietly, as watching the practice games was the only time I could get away from humans and just be with an animal.

Today was especially a good one, because it seemed that Fairy Godmother offered Tourney to Carlos and Jay. And out of both of them, I proved my theory right when Jay became a literal "bad boy" on the field. He was knocking players out left and right, just to make sure he was the one to score the goal. He even knocked out some of his own teammates, which proved he knew nothing of teamwork. The cheerleaders just continued cheering for him though. I admit, I cheered with them, and Dude barked in the sidelines. What actually made me double over laughing was that even Jay tackled Carlos down as well. In the end, he did score the goal for himself, and Coach Jenkins called him over.

At the huddle, I overheard words of "rule book", "band", and "work". It made absolutely no sense to me, but once they were scattered, Jay was with Coach, while Carlos took his gear off. Luckily, the white-haired boy was far from Ben so I walked over to my friend with Dude trotting behind me.

"What happened?" I had to ask.

"I'll be working with Carlos," Ben explained. "Congratulations. Both boys are one step away from joining the team."

I scoffed. "Why are you congratulating me? I barely know them."

"Yeah, but now you have more people to check out at practice games."

It took me three seconds to realize what he'd meant and punch him in the shoulder. Too bad he was still wearing padding. "Ew! Ben! Gross!" As he laughed at me, I admit I laughed harder.

"Go on and watch us any time," the prince said, smiling. "I won't say anything."

I scoffed slightly, but nodded anyway. Dude was rubbing himself against my leg and I shot to his attention. I smiled down at the dog as I took off into a run, with the little pup running after me.

* * *

"Jane!" I called out, running up to my friend. She seemed to be with Lonnie as well, and they were talking about a certain something. That something was the girl's hair. "Whoa, what happened?"

"Mal happened!" Jane squealed. "Isn't it awesome?"

"It's _real_ cool," Lonnie agreed, admiring Jane's new locks.

"Huh…" I mused, fingering the brown curls. "I didn't know Mal could do magic."

"Do you think she could do mine?" Lonnie asked excitedly.

"Sure!" Jane agreed. "She did mine to be nice, I think, but I wonder if she'll do yours for free."

"No," I found myself saying. "Mal doesn't seem like that type of person. She looks like she wants something in return from doing something for Jane."

"Exchange?" Jane had to smile. "Mal didn't ask anything from me, really." I could've sworn I saw in her eyes that she was lying… "The shadow can't define a person, Pen."

I waved a hand. "Potato, potatoh. I think you need to pay her something before you want her to do your hair."

"Pay?" Lonnie frowned, touching her short black strands. "But I don't have any money…and I _really_ want a cool new hairstyle…"

"Lon, _everyone_ wants a cool new hairstyle," I sighed. "Buuut…if you really want it…" I lazily reached into my pocket and handed over a pouch full of coins. Lonnie only stared at me as I practically dumped them in her hand.

"Are you se—"

"Don't mention it." I gave a little smile and wink.

"T-Thanks, Pen! I'll pay you back, I promise."

"Nah, don't worry. I can always 'borrow' more from Ben."

* * *

"Dude! Wait! No!"

I was just playing with Dude again that day, which just happened to be a time when Ben was helping Carlos at sprint practice. The second Carlos began to run, Dude barked and started chasing after him. Of course, dogs chase after people that run after them, believing they only want to play. But when Carlos saw the dog, he looked absolutely terrified.

"Carlos? _Carlos!"_ As the boy took off, Ben started to follow, and all of them were slowly led to the forest. I had a private debate with myself on whether I should follow them or not.

' _What the heck, Penelope. Woman up!'_

I quickly ran after them.

It wasn't long before I found Carlos in a tree and Ben picking up Dude. Carlos seemed to be screaming about something and I only stopped from behind the bushes to listen from afar. "Ben, help me!" Carlos shouted. "This thing is a killer! He's gonna chase me down and rip out my throat! This is a vicious, rabid, pack animal!"

My first instinct was to jump right out of the bushes and slap that boy across his precious face. But I managed to restrain myself. "Hey!" Ben said. "Who told you that?"

"My mother." _Figures._

"Cruella?"

"She's a dog expert. A dog yellerer." Both Ben and I unexpectedly scoffed at the same time. "Why are you holding him, he's gonna attack you!"

"Carlos, you've never actually met a dog, have you?"

"…Of course not."

"Dude, meet Carlos. Carlos, this is Dude. He's the campus mutt."

"He doesn't look like a vicious, rabid, pack animal…"

' _No kidding, genius!'_ I mentally shouted.

As Carlos got down, he seemed to finally see the goodness inside of dogs, especially in Dude, and soon Ben handed him over. As he held the dog longer, Carlos began to smile.

"I guess you guys have it pretty rough on the island."

"…Yeah. Let's just say we don't get a lot of belly rubs."

Ben smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good boy. I mean, you're a good runner, you're fast. You know."

The boys chuckled. "Oh. Thank you."

"Listen, I'm gonna give you guys some space. You guys get to know each other, and just come find me when you're done. OK?"

"OK."

I was so into the moment, I didn't realize Ben was about to walk away. When Carlos sat down with Dude, I finally popped out of the bushes. "Ben!"

"Penelope?" So the boy finally got used to it. "Were you spying on us?"

"Hey," I lifted my index finger and pointed it at the prince sternly. "I was with Dude at the moment. I could've had him."

Ben laughed a little as we continued to walk. "Well…he's with Carlos at the moment…and I have a feeling they're going to be spending a lot of time with each other."

"…Oh."

When Ben saw my face, I could tell he was wondering about me again. "Penelope…will you tell me what's really wrong?"

I hesitated, for I didn't really know what was wrong in the first place. I wanted to be friends with them…but I was so secretive. I always had this feeling around the four…a feeling I couldn't understand. "I guess I just have this weird sense that they're going to be doing something."

Ben nodded slowly. "Again…because they're children of villains?"

"Again, no. It's a weird feeling…like, I want to protect them."

The king-to-be was staring at me by the time we got back on the field. "Well, aren't you a lost case." I had to laugh. "I'm sure you'll find your answer soon."

When he patted my shoulder, my face softened up and I had to nod.

"Hey, speaking of them, are _you_ enjoying their presence so far?"

I wasn't surprised by Ben's smile. "They're pleasant, you might say. I think they'll adjust to us quite soon."

"You think so?"

I tried not to get annoyed when he ruffled my hair. "I know so."

As he walked away before I could say anything ( _my_ signature move), I looked back into the forest (where I could've sworn I heard Carlos laughing), let out a long, deep sigh, and walked back into the school.

* * *

The next night, I was checking my mail for letters from my father. It was a thing we promised to do while he was abroad, so you can say most of my allowance was spent on stamps and envelopes. I smiled as I read them all, especially the little nickname he gave me: _Little shadow._ It made me feel all mysterious and unknown; as you can see, I already fit the description.

Just then, Lonnie came in. She was also my roommate, see, and I looked up to see her in her new brown curls. I smiled politely. "Did you thank Mal yet?"

"Yep," Lonnie said softly. Only then did I realize her face wasn't as happy as I thought it should be.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just…their _parents."_

"Uh, yeah, we all know who they are but—"

"Have you always assumed that even villains love their kids?"

"W-Well…yeah, I mean…their own flesh and blood, I mean, they should be able to…" I slowly faltered, when I saw her expression turn even sadder. Once again, reality had struck me.

"…Oh."

"It's horrible," Lonnie said, collapsing on her bed. "I feel really bad for them…"

"Me too, " I mumbled. The Chinese girl looked at me curiously. I didn't even bother answering. "We shouldn't worry about it too much. It's best if we go to sleep."

"Uh, yeah…what about you?"

"Oh, in a minute, just some last minute reading."

Lonnie knew enough about me to know I was talking about my Dad's letters. "OK. Good night."

With the light from my desk lamp being the only one on, all I could do now was stare at my father's words. He promised he'd be here on Family Day, and I believed him. He was always here anyway. I had to smile, thankful that I was at least able to see him again; thankful I at least I knew he loved me.

' _I'll see you soon, my little shadow.'_

* * *

"Penelope."

I turned around, trying not to be surprised when I saw Ben in the hallways. "Hey yo, Your Highness," I said jokingly. "Big game today, huh? Good luck, and remember not to eat anything before—"

"Too late," he said dreamily. "I just ate one of Mal's cookies. She's so sweet that way." It was only then did I realize how weird his tone was.

"Ben…are you OK?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" When he smiled, it wasn't like his polite, heart-warming smile. It was a smile that signaled _love-struck._ "Listen, you're a girl. What would be a good way to catch a girl's attention?"

"Why are you asking me?" I sighed. "I'm not good at that stuff. Although, I admit, if you serenade her with a song, I'm sure that's a definite win to her heart. I don't understand why you need to win Audrey, though, she's already your girlfr—"

"I'm not talking about Audrey."

My eyes widened at the words he said. In my heart and mind, I was relieved, surprised, shocked, and confused all at the same time. "…I-If not Audrey, then _who?"_

Ben only smiled at me. "You'll see. Thanks for the advice!" He then ran off without me saying anything else.

"Wha—Ben!" I tried calling. But he was already out of sight. I groaned, turned around, and continued to walk, a little annoyed I wouldn't know what the surprise was.

My troubles were washed away when I heard a familiar bark. I turned again, and my eyes lit up when I saw Dude trudging through the halls. I didn't even wonder about where Carlos was. The first thing I did was call the pup's name, crouch down, and let him into my arms and lick my face like he always did. Laughing, and knowing Carlos would be in the Tourney game, I was more than overjoyed to know Dude and I would be having our old routine again.

I didn't notice a certain white-haired boy silently smiling at us in the crowd.

* * *

Auradon Prep wins! Because of Jay and Carlos! The children of villains helped work together to win something. Big plot twist, right? I'm pretty sure I cheered the loudest for them. I was sitting at the upper bleachers, where I could see the whole game and some of my friends from there. I saw Lonnie beside Mal and Evie, who seemed to be just as excited that their friends won the game. I was smiling, feeling really proud for our team when—

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Can I have your attention please?"

It was like the PO announcement all over again. Everyone just went silent, as they were about to listen to Ben's words. I had a really strong feeling it was going to be about what he was talking about earlier. Ben stood on the Tourney shooter's platform so everyone could see him.

"There's something I'd like to say!"

His voice echoed out through the field, as everyone just stared at the prince. He made sure everyone – and I mean everyone – was listening before he started spelling.

"Give me an M!"

" _M!"_

"Give me an A!"

" _A!"_

"Give me an L!"

" _L!"_

"What does that spell?"

" _Mal!"_

"Come on, I can't hear you!"

" _MAL!"_

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?"

I'm pretty sure my eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

As everyone cheered, all I could think of was how _hilarious Audrey's face looked._

From then on, Ben started singing about how ridiculous his love was. Everyone was singing along, the Tourney players dancing with him, the cheerleaders in the background. When I saw Mal's face, she looked like she was scared, amazed, disgusted, amused, and shocked at the same time. Then again, this was all so overwhelming. I wish I could say I totally called it, but I can never tell when love springs.

' _Hey. At least he followed my advice.'_

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?"

"Chad's my boyfriend now!" The sound of Audrey's voice made me clench my jaw. "And I'm going to the coronation with him. So I don't need your pity date." When she kissed him in front of everyone, I could've sworn both Dude and I growled.

"Mal! Will you go to the coronation with me?"

"…YES!"

"SHE SAID YES!"

Everyone cheered, and I just laughed. Go Ben. Go Mal. Insert whatever ship name they could possibly have here.

My only question was how all this was going to pull off.

* * *

"Take her to the Enchanted Lake," I suggested afterwards. Ben had come to me for advice yet again, and I tried to be more honest this time. "She'd love that place we used to have picnics in with your parents."

"Thanks so much, Pen," the prince said happily. You can really see how much in love he was at the moment.

"Hey. No problem, Ben," I smirked at him, and we did a low-five, with me still holding Dude. When he walked away, Doug suddenly came in.

"Pen, I need advice."

"What? Why is everyone coming to me? I'm not a love expert! I've got no experience!"

"Oh, I'll just go ask—"

"No, stay."

The son of Dopey laughed at me. "OK, um, well, I just want to know how to make Evie like me…"

"Evie?" I frowned. "Why Evie?"

"I mean, sure she's pretty, but with being her chemistry partner, I also know she's smart. I managed to bail her out of expulsion, but—"

"That's good!" I blurted out. "You did something for her! That should be enough, right?"

"Yeah, but, Evie wants a handsome prince—"

"Evie will realize soon enough she doesn't need a handsome prince to find love. Just keep being yourself, Doug. And don't stop trying. Love can reach to the extent of doing things for one another. You have to show her that." I don't know where all that came from. I just really wanted the conversation to end.

It took Doug about a second to smile. "Thanks, Penelope."

I smiled back. "Anytime…no, wait, ignore that."

Doug chuckled again and left, leaving me alone with Dude again. I was about to carry him over to my locker when I heard a "Hey, you!"

Instantly, I assumed it was I being called, and I suddenly found myself looking at Carlos. Unlike before, I didn't freeze up again, which was gratifying, but I guess I was a little nervous to talk to him for the first time. When he came up to me, all I did was raise an eyebrow.

The white-haired boy struggled to find the right words to say. "I, um…was wondering if I could have m—I mean, Dude back?"

"Oh, yeah! Right." I handed the puppy over to Carlos, who happily accepted him from me. It made me smile to see Dude so happy in the boy's arms. When I looked at the little eyes, they just made me want to look away.

"Bye." With a fake smile, I turned around and walked away before Carlos could say anything. I could almost hear the disappointment in his faltering voice.

At least I knew my signature move still worked.

* * *

When I stepped onto the Tourney field, I heard the sounds of hooting and cheering. It looks like the team was celebrating their victory with pizzas. The boys were laughing, as they told each other jokes, it all seemed so joyful, and I just felt the need to go in and steal a slice. As I sneaked in, they didn't even realize I was there until they looked at their pizza box found a piece gone.

"Hey!" the shooter named Taylor called out playfully. "Tourney players only!"

"Too bad," I shot back just as coltish, my mouth half-full.

The boys all laughed. Coach Jenkins clapped my shoulder. "All right, just this once, now go along and complete that obstacle course."

"Too late, Coach. Already did so." I still smirked and was walking away, while the boys were scoffing at me.

I didn't know Jay was there, wondering about who I was.

* * *

I was just in my dorm. I really had nothing else to do that day. Dude was with Carlos, I'd finished supper, Ben was still out with Mal on their date, and who knows where Lonnie was. The only thing I could do at the moment was pick out my dress for the coronation. I didn't have many dresses. I never liked them. How was it possible to fight in a skirt? Most of my outfits had my father's style: ripped at the edges. It was just the way I liked them.

"Are you going to wear _that_ dress?"

I whirled around and was surprised to find Evie at my door. I'd forgotten to close it, so I guess she must've seen me holding one of my favorites: it was a shoulder-bearing dress colored in a pure silky green with the ruffles all ripped up. I frowned at the Evil Queen's daughter, wondering what's wrong with it.

"Trust me, dear, those wouldn't match your eyes. You probably want to pick a better one."

"But I—"

"I'd help you, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. If you ever need advice, just call me." She gave me a sweet smile, despite not even knowing me, and left, leaving me slightly speechless.

Well, that was the longest time I ever talked to one of the new kids. I didn't even get a chance to talk. I bet she didn't even know my name. But now, I just wondered what Evie could be "busy" about…

* * *

It was just an ordinary day yesterday. The only thing I wondered about was why the four new kids looked all sad. My suspicions practically dried away and were replaced with worry. I didn't know them much, but I really wanted to talk to them now. That night, I had wanted to go to the kitchen for a quick snack, but then I stopped myself when I saw Mal there, looking like she was making cupcakes. But she was still looking sad again, as she closed her book. I almost saw her cry, which made me even more concerned.

"Mal? You OK?"

Maleficent's daughter was surprised as she saw me, probably wondering who I was and how I knew her name, but she quickly wiped her face and gave me a fake smile. "Yeah. I'm good."

It was very obvious she was lying. But I didn't want to push her, really. I gave a slow nod, small smile, and left the kitchen without another word. Something was on Mal's mind, and I wanted to find out. But I also knew I couldn't force the truth out of her…Ben wouldn't like that.

Oh, well. Best to find out tomorrow.

* * *

"Dad!"

The moment my father came out of his car, I ran out of the school and tackled him into a hug. He was laughing as he embraced me back. For Family Day, I wore clothes similar to my father's when he was a kid. He loved when I dressed like him. When we finally pulled away, his blue eyes shone as he grinned at me.

"Penelope! How's my little shadow?"

I laughed as he ruffled my hair. "I'm fine, Dad! I'm so glad to see you."

"Missed you too, Pen," He kissed my forehead as his arm was around my shoulders. The car driver handed over his luggage and we walked into the building. "How's school?"

"Good, I guess. Did you hear Ben's new proclamation?"

"Ah, yes, the children of villains to come live in Auradon. I'm just glad he didn't bring over Hook's son." I scoffed, having to nod. "So, I'm not late for anything, am I?"

"Well, Ben and some others are finished singing Be Our Guest."

"Yep, didn't miss anything! Let's go see the royals, shall we?"

I smiled as I gestured him inside.

The singing ended just a while ago, and now, Ben was introducing Mal to his parents. When finished, I could've sworn I saw Queen Belle about to faint. My father and I both saw and try to resist laughing at that as he went to greet them. Meanwhile, I saw Carlos and Jay hogging the chocolate fountain, dipping whatever food they could find in the liquid. I could've sworn they even started drinking from it.

Just to make things fun, I walked up to them. Carlos dipped a strawberry into the chocolate and was ready to eat it whole. But I snatched it from his fingers and bit into it. He whirled around, raising an eyebrow at me in an annoyed manner, but he was also smiling amusingly. I only smirked back as I walked back to my father.

He seemed to have noticed my little snitch action. "Now, Penelope, stealing isn't nice." Although I could've sworn he was grinning.

"So, Peter, would you two like to join us for a game of croquet?" King Adam offered.

"No thanks." My Dad and I looked at each other when we both said it at the same time and smiled. "We're gonna be spending some father-daughter time," Dad excused. "I'm sure Penelope would want to hear about all my adventures, right, Pen?"

He had me at "adventures".

"Oh, well, come join us any time." When Queen Belle smiled sweetly, I had to smile back.

"Of course!"

"I've traveled far and wide…through jungles and forests…over seas and under seas…I've even passed by the Isle of the Lost."

"Meanwhile, I've _met_ some people from there," I smiled mischievously at him. Dad _always_ started his stories like this. You'd think I'd have gotten used to them already.

Dad laughed and put an arm over my shoulders again. "One day, you will travel with me as well."

I tried for a laugh. "That'd be nice for once. You're going to stay for the coronation, right?"

"Yep! I wouldn't miss the crowning of the one who took care of my daughter." That earned a scoff from me.

He smiled back, his smile suddenly slowly turning smaller. "I hope you've been all right here."

"Of course Dad! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just…I keep feeling like I just abandoned you here."

I wasn't going to just blurt out I felt the same. I knew there were a few certain people that had it more rough in life than me. I hesitated, only pausing to find the right words as my father just stared. "No. I really like it here." When I smiled, I only hoped he assumed it was genuine.

"Come on, Dude!"

Our conversation was interrupted when I heard Carlos with the little dog again. He was laughing, as Dude seemed to be chasing something. "Get 'em, get 'em!"

"One of the new kids?" Dad asked.

I nodded. "Yep. Carlos, Cruella de Vil's son."

"With a dog? And _not_ turning it into a fur coat?" he scoffed. "That's a first."

I chuckled. "You'd be surprised at what we've been encountering the last few days."

Dad grinned. "You friends with him?"

"Well…no—"

"Then go have fun. It's all right, we can talk later."

I looked at my father in disbelief, but he wasn't kidding. His infamous, childlike grin told explained enough. When he punched my shoulder playfully and urged me forward, I resisted the urge to laugh as I went after the boy and dog.

"Dude! Over here!"

Once the little pup saw me, it barked and started bolting for me again. I had my arms out, and Dude jumped right into them, licking my face in the process. "Hey, boy! How are you?"

As I held the dog, Carlos ran up to me, a surprised look on his face. Either he was surprised to see me again, or he was pretending he never did. He quickly smiled when he saw I had Dude with me. When he started coming up, I smiled, thinking maybe I could finally talk to them properly.

" _You!"_

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a familiar voice. It was Queen Leah, Audrey's grandmother. So, yeah, Sleeping Beauty's mother. Everyone heard her, and their direction was now turned to her and…Mal? A hunch told me the old lady found out she was her enemy's daughter. I was frozen in place, and my father just came up to me, wondering what the hustle was about.

"H-How are you here?" Queen Leah breathed. "And how have you stayed so young?"

Benny to the rescue. He quickly came up to the two and held onto Mal. "Queen Leah! It's OK. Maleficent is still on the island. This is her daughter, Mal. Don't you remember my proclamation to give the new generation a chance?"

"A chance to what, Ben? _Destroy us?"_ Ouch. That has got to hurt. Queen Leah turned to everyone, shaking with anger. "Come on, you remember, don't you? The poison apples…and the spells!" Everyone was staring at her solemnly. Even my dad. The villain kids neared their friend, and Dude whimpered in my arms. "The spells… My daughter was raised by fairies, because of your mother's curse. Her first words…her first steps… _I missed it all!"_

By now, Queen Leah was ready to cry. Mal tried to comfort her. "I'm so sorry—"

Chad jumped in between them. "Go away! Step away from her!"

I was ready to pounce on the prince or something, but my dad held me firm. "Don't do this, Chad," Ben warned.

"What? They were raised by their _parents,_ Ben. What do you think villains teach their kids, huh? Kindness? Fair play? No way, OK? Uh-uh."

"Dad, lemme at 'em," I mumbled.

"Not our fight, kid," Dad whispered back.

Chad turned to face Mal. "You stole another girl's boyfriend!"

" _Hey! Hey!"_

The prince just continued and turned to Jay. _"You_ enjoy hurting people." The boy tried not to look too hurt.

Finally, he turned to Evie. "And _you._ You're nothing but a gold-digger and a cheater."

That seemed to cross the line. Evie picked her mirror up. "Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who's the biggest jerk in the land?" She faced the mirror towards Chad, and it showed his reflection.

" _What?! Come on!"_

Jay went over to tackle Chad. There was shouting, and some pulling away, but it all stopped when Evie brought some perfume out and sprayed Chad with it. He was knocked out immediately. The garden broke into a pandemonium. Mal and her friends decided to run out.

"Guys!" Ben called after them. But they were gone. I figured they were just sitting around somewhere, but I knew they were going to need help.

"What's going on?" Dad asked, still pretty confused. I watched as Ben was talking to his parents.

"Dad, please talk to them," I begged, as the King and Queen started to walk away from their son.

"Don't worry, I will." My father quickly trailed after King Adam and Queen Belle, while I ran over to a depressed-looking prince.

"Penelope," he said quietly. "What do I do?"

I bit my lip, honestly not so sure. "You have to fix it. Go after them."

Ben didn't respond. He probably heard the uneasiness in my tone. Either way, he nodded, and quickly followed pursuit the direction of where the villain kids went.

I now stood alone again, with Dude sitting by my legs. He had a sad puppy dog look on, and I could've sworn I had one myself.

Family Day was definitely not going as well as I'd expected.

* * *

"Jane, what happened to you?"

The daughter of our Headmistress was weeping in my arms that morning, for she just came barging into my and Lonnie's room that day of the coronation. Jane's hair had returned to normal, and though I already assumed what happened, I still tried to be a good friend and comfort.

"I've been horrible lately!" she sobbed. "Now look at me! I'm back to square one!"

"Jane, it's OK," Lonnie said soothingly.

"OK?!" Jane bolted upright in my arms and glared at the Chinese girl, clearly the opposite of what she said. "It's easy for you to say! You haven't been un-spelled on!"

"Jane, you've changed ever since Mal spelled you," I said. "You're not yourself. Please, take it easy."

"No! I won't! I'll make myself prettier again! You'll see!"

"And just how will you do that?! It's not like you can steal her spell book!"

That caused Jane to pause. I felt slightly confident, as if I'd brought her idea down. But she only managed to stand back up again. "You'll see. You'll see…" She stood up, and with a last huff, left the room.

"I feel bad for Jane," Lonnie said quietly. "But I also feel bad for Mal…she didn't deserve yesterday."

I nodded. "None of those kids did. I really wish I did something about it…"

Mulan's daughter sighed. "Well. We can't do anything about it now, can we?" I didn't respond. "Come on. Let's get ready for the coronation."

"…OK."

* * *

"Good luck, Ben."

I gave the king-to-be a giant bear hug before he was about to climb onto his carriage. We were both already dressed up and outside the school, and I just wanted one last hug from him as prince. He smiled as he hugged me back, as if he wasn't being crowned and was actually leaving the country.

"Thanks, Pen. I'll see you in the after-party, OK?"

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it." I managed a small smile at him, and he smiled back.

Suddenly, I felt Mal's presence nearing. Time to leave. "Bye," I whispered, and hurried away.

Once they were united, I dazedly watched as they boarded their carriage together, looking totally in love with each other. I smiled, silently praying to Neverland that they'd be happy with each other in the end. Gods, wait, I sounded like they were getting married. Shaking the thought off, I suddenly felt a hand being placed on my shoulder.

"Ready to go?" my father asked with a smile. He was wearing a green tux that matched my spiky-edged dress, and I have to say he looked stunning. I smiled back at him as I gave him a quick hug.

"Yeah, c'mon, Dad."

* * *

It was now time for Ben to get crowned. Everyone stood in silence as we watched him make his way to the stage, where his parents and the Fairy Godmother were waiting. I stood beside my father as we smiled at the prince. He looked so _ready_. And for some reason, I could feel tension and anxiety in the air. Which was weird…

Yet, we still paid attention to Ben. The Fairy Godmother was now holding her wand.

"Do you solemnly swear to govern the peoples of Auradon with justice and mercy as long as you shall reign?"

"I do solemnly swear."

"Then it is my honor and my joy to bless our new king—"

She didn't get to finish. Jane snatched the wand right out of her hands.

Wait, what?

Everyone ducked from the sparks flying from the wand. 'Jane you idiot!' I wanted to scream. But everyone was too busy shrieking louder than me. "Child, what are you doing?!" the Fairy Godmother shouted.

Jane only held onto the wand for dear life. "If you won't make me beautiful, I'll do it myself!" Is she crazy?! When I was talking about stealing, it didn't mean she had to do it! "Bibbidi! Bobbidi! Boo!"

"She's opening the barrier!" I shouted out.

"What?!" my dad demanded.

I grabbed my father's hand and we exited through the nearest emergency fire escape. I saw where the wand's spark led. It was right for the Isle of the Lost. I could clearly see from outside the cathedral that she was setting _the villains free._

"Dad, what do we do?!" I asked frantically.

"I don't think we can _do_ anything!" I've never seen my father so scared. A large green cloud was coming out of the island, and heading for the church. "Maleficent is coming. There is no doubt about that."

I had to think. What could I do? What was stronger than Maleficent? The wand, obviously. But what could be much more powerful than Maleficent that she could—

"Mal's spell book!" I blurted out. "Mal's been carrying this book around and doing over people's hair! She must've gotten it from her mother. We have to find it and find a spell to bring Maleficent down!"

"Wow. That's some thinking, Penelope. Where could the book be?"

"Maybe she left it at school, in her dorm. But how will we run all the way there in time?"

"Who said anything about running?"

Before I could question anything, Dad brought a small pouch out of his pocket and placed it in my hand. "Just a pinch will do. Now, hurry child!"

I had no idea what he meant, but when I opened the pouch, my eyes widened. Pixie dust. Straight imported from Neverland. I looked at my father and he just smiled at me. With a final pat on the shoulder, he charged back into the church.

I really had no time. As much as I wanted to cherish the moment, I took a pinch of the dust, sprinkled it over myself, and slowly lifted into the air. There wasn't time to savor the feeling. I just took off and flew.

At Auradon Prep, the school was practically empty. What an opportunity. Unfortunately, the first thing I did was get to Mal and Evie's room. Why was it open? I had no idea. By my luck, I first checked Mal's desk drawer and the book was right there. "Yes!" I said to myself, ready to leave and search its pages.

But something stopped me. There was something else on Mal's desk that was quite interesting. It was a drawing of the Fairy Godmother's wand. I looked back to the day I first met them and instantly thought they were up to something. Were they planning on stealing the wand since the beginning? My eyes couldn't help softening up at that. What were they thinking _now?_

I had to get back.

By the time I got back to the church and entered through the fire escape, I almost gasped to myself when I saw Maleficent in dragon form, everyone else completely frozen, and Mal and her friends going up against her mother. I could almost feel their intense staring contest, as their eyes turned green and Mal started incanting something.

"The strength of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one!"

"Keep talking, sister," I mumbled, quickly leafing through the book. "I sure hope this works on me…" I suddenly found an interesting spell and muttered it:

" _Your glory days are over, your doom come to a start  
Shrink to the size of the love in your heart"_

I didn't think it worked. But with Mal's power, it made things easier, and the dragon disappeared. In my mind, I was doing air flips in victory while the four villain kids were wondering what _Mal_ had done. That's right. I was never here, children.

So many questions were in their heads.

"What just happened?"

"I have no idea!"

"Did you do it?"

"I don't know!"

"No, no, no, no," the Fairy Godmother said. "Your mother did. She shrank to the size of the love in her heart, that's why it's so itty bitty."

"Keep saying that, Grandma," I mumbled, glancing over at lizard Maleficent.

Basically, long story short: everyone got unfrozen, I reunited with Dad, I'm the only who knows what _really_ happened, and I'm surprisingly cool with that. Jane was forgiven (I'm going to have a little talk with her later about metaphors), Audrey and Mal seemed to have made up and Maleficent was trapped in a bell jar. The quartet also made up with everyone, proved their goodness, and invited to the after-party, yay.

Everyone's happy.

* * *

"I'll see you soon, Dad," I hugged my father, as we stood before his car, ready to go off for another business trip.

"I'll miss you, my shadow," Dad laughed, hugging me tight. "You have no idea how proud I am of you."

"Aw, thanks…but really. There are other people that deserve that pride."

"One day, I will take you—"

"—on your adventures," I finished. "I'll be sure to remember those words, Dad. You'll never make me forget."

My father laughed and patted my shoulder. "I promise to be back for next year's Family Day."

"I know." I smiled at him one last time before he boarded his car. Through the window, I could see him waving with a playfully sad expression. I couldn't help chuckling as the car drove away.

Now to visit the new king.

Once I found Ben, I didn't plan on scaring him again. It was at the party area, and he was surrounded by so many of his friends, I had to push my way through. When there were at least five feet of space around him, I made it inside.

"Penelope!" Ben cried out, giving me a quick hug.

"Hey, Benjamin," I wheezed, catching some air. "Or should I really call you Your Highness now?"

The boy shook his head. "No. Did your Dad leave yet?"

"Yep! I'm stuck here for another year!"

"That's fine with me! At least by then I can force you to talk to the new kids!"

"It's all right! I trust that they're good now!"

"So you _did_ think they were evil!"

"Whatever puts candy in your limos! Go have fun, Kingsy!"

Ben laughed, and tried to make a snarky remark, but was interrupted by his friends picking him up and carrying him to the stage. I waved playfully, watching everyone else break into song. I sighed, almost ready to sit down, when I saw Lonnie come up to me.

"Hey, Pen! Come on! Don't you want to dance?"

"Is that a trick question?"

Lonnie rolled her eyes. "Seriously. Stop being such a shadow and join us!"

"Being a shadow is my _thang."_

"Get up."

Before I knew it, she pulled me off my seat and brought me onto the dance floor. As we danced, I saw Ben give a laugh at my direction. I had to wave back. Later, Lonnie ended up dancing with Chad. Doug looked pretty surprised to see me dancing and gave a little wave. I only smiled when I saw him with Evie. I also saw Jay dancing with Audrey and Carlos with Jane. Well. I just lost my chance, didn't I? Oh well. The music is really catchy though.

We all danced the night away. By the end of the song, we enjoyed all the fireworks, and just continued having fun. I tried "interacting" and talking with some of my schoolmates. But aside from that, I was just happy. I was able to prove some worth, even if no one knew about it. The day was saved, and that's what mattered. Everyone got what they deserved.

This shadow is satisfied.

 _~The End~_

* * *

~Extended Ending~

Through one of the songs, my eyes lit up when I saw a certain dog come up to me. "Dude!" I exclaimed, scooping the puppy up in my arms. "Aw, you're here~" He barked happily and licked my face, and I laughed. "Good to see you too~"

"Oh! Hey." I looked up and was surprised to see Carlos. A surge of déjà vu came up and I stared at him. "It's you."

"Hi," I managed to say. When he smiled, I had to smile back. "Yeah. It's me…"

"Funny, you always seem to be with Dude when I see you…he must really like you."

I chuckled. "Dude and I go way back. Funny how he always seems to lead you to me…"

Carlos chuckled nervously. "Ahaha, yeah…Penelope, right?"

I tilted my head at him, rather confused. "How do you know my name?"

The white-haired boy smiled sheepishly. "I might've asked Ben once…that's not the point." I resisted the urge to smirk. "Want to dance?"

"You asking me or the dog?" When he hesitated, I started laughing again. "Yeah, sure."

He smiled and held a hand out. I used my free hand to take it and we headed for the dance floor.

* * *

 **I'm sorry if it was longer than expected. I just really had fun writing it :) I understand if not many people would like it. I just really wanted something to do, and I really loved this movie. Forgive me uwu**

 **Hope some of you enjoyed at least~ Thanks for reading!**


	2. NEW STORY, STORY SEQUENCE, & OC PROFILE

**THE NEW SEQUEL IS OUT! Check out "A Lost Girl" on my profile! Read more about Penelope and what happened to her after six months, and basically her contribution in Descendants 2! Also make sure to check out "The Light" if you don't know it yet!**

 **EDIT: With all these oneshots, this would probably be the correct manner of reading them (pls read the chapter names of my stories so you wont get confused!)**

 _The Shadow: Isle of the Lost_  
 _The Shadow: Descendants_  
 _The Light_  
 _The Shadow: Return to the Isle of the Lost_  
 _A Lost Girl: Rise of the Isle of the Lost_  
 _A Lost Girl: Descendants 2_

 **That should do it hehe**

 **ALSO before anything else...I should probably give a proper OC profile hehe**

Name: Penelope Pan

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Story Book Parent: Peter Pan

Casted by: Alexandra Daddario

Occupation: Student

Home: Former - Neverland; Current - Auradon

Allies: Ben, Lonnie, Jane, VKs

Enemies: Harry Hook, Uma

Likes: Gym, green, animals, making new friends

Dislikes: English, dresses, prissy stuff

Srengths: Obstacle course, art, sword-fighting

Weaknesses: Standing out, too trusting, home economics, lack of fashion sense

Quotes: "I'm a shadow. Sometimes you see me, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you acknowledge, sometimes I'm just invisible. But this isn't about me."

Bio: Peter Pan decided he wanted to grow up, and went to Auradon and had a Penelope with an Auradonian woman (most probably Wendy's Granddaughter, Moira). It was rather a surprise for everyone to see that the Boy Who Never Grew Up actually grew up. But he managed to catch up with everyone, and claimed he wanted a family. Peter had Penelope when he was only 23, an age much younger than most of the generation that gave birth to the Descendants. Peter took his family tl Neverland and trained his daughter there since birth, until at age four, Pen's mother died, and Peter decided travelling the world was his most suited occupation. He left Penelope at Auradon, where she lived among many other students, and was practically raised by Ben.

Extra: +Penelope dresses up in green, or normally wears clothes similar to her father. She mostly looks like her mother, but she dyed her hair to look like her father's hair at age 10.

+Penelope lost her stuffed teddy bear once, but she doesn't like to mention she even owned one.

+If Lonnie was the Girl in School of Secrets, Pen helped inspire that

Room mate: Lonnie

Story Book Romance: Carlos De Vil


	3. The Isle of the Lost

**The Shadow in** _ **"The Isle of the Lost"**_

* * *

 **Hey guys! So I put in this oneshot because I realized that there are some points in Melissa de la Cruz's Isle of the Lost series in which Penelope could be inserted in. Before reading this oneshot, make sure you read her books, or have already read them! I'm going to write Penelope in a way that it was as if she played some role in the series as well, just as I did for the movies and the cartoon.**

 **Although, I do want to mention, since the only signs of Auradon life in the book are all focused on Ben, I would like to take the opportunity to focus this oneshot on Ben and Pen's friendship. I treasure it most, after Carlos and Pen, and before Pen and Evie. Since I gave Ben an older brother figure to Penelope, I'd like to properly elaborate on their relationship, as well as just how much of an impact Ben and Pen can have on each other.**

 **Remember: the story takes place before the first Descendants movie!**

 **I do hope you guys like it!**

* * *

It was just another day in the United States of Auradon.

Just another day spent in this goody two-shoes of a country.

Just another day closer to Benny's Coronation.

I admit, I was excited for my friend. Since I technically grew up with him, it was nice to see him most especially out of the many princes and princesses here upgrade to King. Hey, maybe he'll allow me "first-in-line" privileges at the cafeteria.

Kidding. Okay, but in all honesty, I was also concerned. Being King was a big responsibility (obviously). I know Ben was only fifteen and I was thirteen, but hey, a girl can be worried for her "technically best friend." Most days it seemed as if Ben was out of the zone the more his Coronation day got closer. And that can be distracting on both his case and those around him.

Many may not have noticed it. Everyone thought Ben was too perfect for words. But when you're a shadow and practically living behind one, you'll notice a bunch of things.

So I approached him after Life Skills Without Magic class – a class I have a hard time dealing with – and approached him. "Need help with those?" I gestured to the pile of papers he was carrying, along with his heavy backpack filled with his schoolbooks, and the rest of the contents that were spilling out of it.

The prince gave a light laugh, and smiled softly as I collected the items from his hands. "Thanks Penelope," he sighed, fixing his backpack, and I walked him to his locker.

"You really have to pay attention to all of this?" He nodded, and I scrunched my nose up in disgust. "Who knew being king had its perks."

"Of course it does," Ben groaned. Something he rarely does, mind you. "It always does."

"What's this? A Sidekicks United petition? What?"

"Well, the sidekicks of previous generation believe they're not getting what they deserve."

"You're kidding, right? Ever since my dad left Neverland, pixies have been getting holidays nearly every day!"

"Which is, actually, another petition people sign up for."

"People want everything nowadays." I scoffed, and we'd reached Ben's locker. He opened it with ease as he sighed and placed some books inside.

"I know. And I really wish I could get all of these over and done with. If this is my life before my coronation, who knows what Underworld I'll experience once I'm actually king?"

I crossed my arms, conceptualizing. "Very bad." The brunette shot me a look and I shrugged playfully.

"Well, now I have to meet up with these sidekicks," Ben continued, taking the papers back from me. "It'll be one step closer to seeing if I can handle responsibility."

"I'm sure you can do it!" I exclaimed triumphantly. "You're the son of King Beast!"

Said son fiddled with the beast-head ring on his finger, and he stared at the ground. "Right…ahem, thanks Pen."

"Don't mention it!" I pumped my fist in the air. "Now get out there and start being kingly!"

"The council meeting is still tomorrow morning and I'm not king yet."

"Close enough! I'll see you tomorrow morning!"

Laughing, Ben also pumped his fist. "You got it!"

"You can do this!"

* * *

"Okay, so things might've gotten out of hand…"

After that meeting, I was just walking around the school courtyard – I often walked around most areas – when Ben came up to me. He seemed very much exasperated, so I took him to sit at a nearby bench before he could explain further. "What happened?"

"It was chaos," Ben said breathlessly. "I don't know what got over me…they all just started shouting their complaints and I couldn't handle it and I was getting overwhelmed and—" I was just about to cut him off but it seemed like he did it to himself, biting his tongue in the process. "I just went all Beast mode…"

"Benjamin, breathe," I instructed calmly but forcefully. The prince held his head in his hands and I could only press my hand to his back, using my other to grip his knee. I couldn't say anything. I could tell without him even saying it that Ben thought he was a failure.

"Look," I started, my tone low and slow. "Everyone fails at the first try. Okay, well, most people do…but things will turn around—"

"Ben!" A familiar, sickeningly-sweet princess voice called out, rather charmingly. We lifted our heads to see Ben's girlfriend, Audrey, the daughter of Aurora, quickly run up to us. I couldn't imagine how she was able to run in such high heels and knee-high skirt, but I suppose she was used to it. Audrey was the idea of a perfect princess, the kind of person I would hate. However, those people are also people I can tolerate, so the brunette and I got along on a neutral level. I especially hated it when she brought up the fact Ben and I got along _"way_ too well."

"Audrey, now's not a good time—" I began.

"But I was here to pick Ben up!" the girl exclaimed matter-of-factly. "It's urgent!"

"Urgent?"

"Not really," Ben had cleared his throat, quickly straightening himself the moment Audrey arrived, and stood to turn to her. "But I promised we'd go to her parents' starter home castle today. Sorry…"

"Oh, it's fine, I guess I'll see you later?"

Ben turned back to me, a pained smile on his face. It was one of those smiles I couldn't bear to see him wear. Him, or any other person I knew. It was just too depressing to see. "Yeah, I will…"

Without saying another word, Audrey took her boyfriend by the arm, locking his with hers, and the two walked away.

Which left me degraded. I barely had time to comfort my friend. And I was just absolutely sure that from my observations on Audrey, she'd be way too oblivious to notice how big of an impact anything she'd say may have on him. What if she said the wrong words?

Well then…I guess that gives _me_ time to think of what would be the right ones.

* * *

I found Ben in his office that night. He still seemed way too dejected from that morning, because he didn't even visit me after his outing with Audrey! That, and he was still staring at his desk sadly, without even giving me a glance. He seemed too dazed and distracted, just as he did every other day, but it seems like his own room and empty space is where he took it to intensify his distractedness. I entered the room, approaching him, and sitting on the table, and only upon seeing my hand near his is when he finally noticed my presence.

"Pen! I—Sorry, I didn't see you enter…"

I didn't respond to what he said. A storm brewed in his deep brown doe-like eyes, and he seemed too exasperated to form a sentence. When he finally paid attention to my silence, he stared at me, confused.

That's when I reached out and tickled his ear. His head jerked, surprised, but that didn't make me miss a chance to tickle his side. He stood abruptly from his side, letting out a yelp that also sounded like a laugh, causing me to do so myself. I remembered all the tickle fights Ben and I would play when we were kids. After the life of swashbuckling adventures with good pirates and Indians at age 3 to 4 when I was in Neverland, I resorted to the Auradon life of chilling, relaxing, and just enjoying the joys and natures of being a true child that interacted with other children like the prince I knew ten years ago. With all the excitement of Ben being king, and growing up having its perks and weaknesses, we rarely did little kids' hangouts like this anymore. It was the only way I could think of to make Ben laugh.

And he did. His laugh was melodic – much more harmonious than mine, I could say – and I hopped off the table when he was about to pounce at me. "Why, you, Pan!"

I continued to giggle as I ran around his office. "Ew! Fleas! Get your paws off me, Beast!"

Neither of us broke the act, and when he finally tackled me to the ground and attacked me with tickles, neither of us could stop laughing, especially when I began tickling him again in return. Once we were finally out of air, we sat up on the floor, huffing and wheezing, yet the smiles on our faces didn't seem to waver.

That's right. You can always rely on Peter Pan – or at least his daughter – to bring back the fun in you.

"Thank you, Pen," the future king finally said, a brighter smile than one I've seen in days finally appeared on his face. "I needed that."

I gave him a thumbs up. "Hey, I'm always here for you, dude."

"I really wish I could deal with this whole sidekick problem…"

I then stood up from the floor, dusting my green leggings as I held a hand out to the prince. "My dad always says there's a problem to every solution. Come on. Let's sort out these complaints." With a beam, Ben took my hand and I hoisted him up. We sat down behind his desk and got to work.

Usually, for all people I helped out, it just started with me rambling and then from my words, they formulated an idea, and took over the rest of their actions. I did the same whenever I helped Ben. We ran over the list of complaints all these sidekicks had, and Ben came up with a plan for them. I only gave pros and cons, as well as contribute to whether the idea was good or not. We seemed to solve things quicker that way.

As Ben was re-analyzing the three good fairies' complaint to use magic in their homes, I found myself staring outside Ben's window. If you looked at another angle, you would notice how beautiful Auradon could look underneath the moonlight. But as I noticed the Isle of the Lost, no light shone except for the street lights that seemed that have reached until this area. I frowned, knowing from many stories about it that it was dreary and dark there. I know villains were banished there, but what were they doing now? What was going on in that place…

Ben seemed to have met my gaze because he spoke up. "It's kind of sad, isn't it?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah…even Neverland is more cheerful than that."

The prince exhaled. "Pen…did you ever get the feeling like…we've abandoned them or something?"

"Hm? Why would you think that?"

"I…I don't know…honestly…" He was quiet after saying so.

"Hmmm well…I know one thing for sure…"

"What's that?"

My gaze turned to the Isle again. "There are more than just villains there…there's more than what we think…"

"Umm…what do you mean?"

Snapping myself out of my own daze, I looked at my friend again and chuckled. "Sorry, sorry…it's nothing. Just…an instinct, I guess."

"Hmmm…okay…"

* * *

 _I had no idea I just gave an idea to the future king's first royal proclamation._

* * *

"Listen, Pen," The next day, Ben had visited my dorm room this time. Lonnie was MIA, so he seemed to have found the perfect opportunity to have a proper conversation with me. "I just wanted to say thank you."

I smirked, standing up from my bed and walking towards him. "Meeting with Grumpy finally went well?"

The prince smiled smugly in return. "He said I'd make a great king."

"And you will." I placed a warm hand on my friend's shoulder and made his brown eyes look into mine. "Trust me."

"I do," Ben nodded. "Seriously. Thank you for all your help. I couldn't have made it through last night."

I shrugged. "Meh, I bet you could've~ Just remember I'm here for you."

"Hey. And I with you."

We shared a passionate "low-five."

"Alright Benny, skedaddle! Don't you have a fitting you need to attend to?"

"Oh right…you don't suppose I could skip it, do you?"

I shot him a playfully irritated look and shot my pointer finger out to the door, my hand on my hip. "Gom mister."

Ben chuckled and patted my head, causing me to pout. "Alright, alright. I'll see you later?"

I beamed. "Definitely. See you later, Your Highness~"

At that name, he raised an eyebrow at me. But then we laughed it off as he went away.

I honestly can't imagine my life without Ben. He made me feel like it was definitely a great idea that my dad decided to bring me to Auradon before he began his new career. I may have a whole bunch of friends, but I don't think I could ever find a friend more true than the beastly prince.

* * *

 **That wraps it up! Again, hope you guys liked it! Watch out for Penelope in the book after this one!**


	4. Return to the Isle of the Lost

**The Shadow in** _ **"Return to the Isle of the Lost"**_

* * *

 **The second book of the Isle of the Lost series! Here I'm going to show Penelope interacting with Ben again, but she'll have her moments with the VKs as well!**

 **I'm thinking that throughout the whole duration of this series, Penelope will have no contribution to the adventures the 4 VKs have. You see, I very much love their friendship, and I wouldn't want any OC – of mine or of others – to interfere with that. The books are proof of the cherished moments I am able to see them have when it is only the four of them. Penelope, as usual, is just a side character, that still brings a great impact to the story! At least she does, in my opinion.**

* * *

The first thing I could even _think_ about that morning was the fact that a Neverland team was going to be up against Auradon Prep!

I'm not a big Tourney fan ( _'Seriously, Penelope?'_ I thought to myself. _'After all those hours of watching the boys practice for it?'_ ), but I do admit this was going to be an exciting outcome. It'd be nice to see my old Neverland friends again! I rarely saw them or even hung out with them as a kid, because some chose to get off the island and grow up. But now I'd get to see my old mates up against my technically new ones!

As I littered around the dining hall, I found my usual empty table and sat, chewing on a banana as I scanned the area. Nothing exciting was going on, as usual.

Well, okay, an earthquake happened earlier in the day, and another big one just occurred as soon as I sat down. These earthquakes seemed to be happening a lot lately… But I've gotten used to accepting and adapting, so it didn't much bother me. I did hope the issue would be resolved soon, somehow, if the King of Auradon could somehow command natural disasters to stop.

Speaking of which, Ben had also passed by a while ago to grab a quick bite to eat, and he only had enough time to say hello and be gone. As the new king, I knew he was up and about more often than most. There were times I'd have to approach him to be able to have a decent conversation and even help him out, but most days, we have limited time to actually spend time together like a family or even friend would.

Which can get kind of sad, sometimes.

As I was thinking about the Neverland team coming over again, so did Ally, Jordan, Freddie, and Jay. Once they'd all gotten food, the four continued chatting away, and they dropped their trays on the table I was sitting at and sat around me. "Hello, Pen!" Ally greeted first.

"'Sup," Freddie said after.

"Um, hey?" I raised an eyebrow, mostly confused. "What's up?"

"Hope you don't mind we're here," Jordan piped. "You just seemed lonely."

I had to scoff. "Don't I always seem lonely?"

"There's nothing wrong with how you look," Jay commented, winking. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and only stuck my tongue out at him playfully. Jay may have flirted with absolutely every girl he met, but I made it a point that as Peter Pan's daughter, I could not be swayed by such acts. Especially when I engaged them with a childish act.

As my friends laughed, they then began to chat again. I then noticed something in Jay's hand as I was about to eat my oatmeal. "What's that?" I pointed out.

The son of Jafar quickly enclosed his fist around the object and almost immediately pocketed it. "It's nothing."

' _O-kay…'_ I know the villains were reformed…but that didn't stop them from still judging all their suspicious acts.

* * *

The next morning, I'd received a text from Ben: _"Am heading off to Camelot!"_

I actually felt happy that my friend even bothered to text me, knowing he was busy and all that. _Camelot? Aren't you already skilled at being a knight in shining armor?_

 _Haha :P Actually, there's just some business I have to attend to. Something about a creature._

 _A creature? I do hope Maleficent hasn't escaped and is now climbing on walls freaking women out !_

 _HAHA okay don't jinx it! I'll see ya in a few days, hopefully. If you can tell Mal about where I am, pls do_

 _Shore_

Pocketing my phone, I set out for a new day.

First, I went to find Mal and showed her my text messages from Ben. I was kind of spooked when I saw her eyes widen. I didn't expect she'd be that affected. But then it seemed like she just got triggered by something else, so she exhaled the breath I didn't know she'd been holding and nodded. "Okay, noted, thanks Pen."

"Yeah…is something wrong, by the way?"

"Huh? Why would you think that?"

"…No reason…"

I then sought out for Evie, and I assumed, even though there were classes that day, she would be in her room. A lot of girls have asked the blunette to make their dresses, so I decided to be one of them. I just wanted to know what it was like. I'd only asked for a simple long green evening gown, but she'd insisted on making a blue-green knee-high semi-poof dress with a glittery bodice. I just wanted to make sure she toned it down a bit, like I'd asked.

It seemed she too, was distracted, because she squeaked the moment I entered the room. "Geez, knock next time!"

I frowned. "Oh, uh…I'm sorry?"

"Oh—oh! Sorry, Penelope! I didn't mean to burst."

"Umm no big…is that my dress?"

Evie was by her sewing machine, and she leaped up, holding up the ensemble with pride. Though I had to admit the dress looked great and the craftwork made me excited to wear it, her nervous smile still swayed me. "You're all ready for Castlecoming! The boys are all going to notice how mature you look in this!"

"Hahaha very funny—Evie are you okay?"

"Great! Just great! It's probably all the gown-making stress, nothing to worry about!"

I only remained silent. I thanked her again for her effort and left the room. Something was definitely up between the VKs. First Jay, Mal, and Evie…

' _Hmmm, I'll pay Carlos a visit.'_

I walked to the son of Cruella's dorm room and found him sitting on his bed, his back arched as he seemed to be over-analyzing something on his laptop. His fingers flew across the keys with such speed, it was kind of intriguing. He really seemed indulged into it. I wanted to sneak up on him, but he had looked up from his work and noticed me.

"Penelope?"

"Hey, de Vil," I greeted, waving awkwardly. "Sorry, your door was open—"

"No, no, it's fine!" The boy seemed eager to start this conversation that he closed his laptop to avoid distractions.

"Oh, I hope you saved that!"

"What? Oh, yeah, this is nothing I was…just…doing a project…for school?" He squinted to the side, as if he couldn't even believe his own words.

I blinked at him for a few seconds. "Are you talking about that social media project for that tech class?"

"Umm…yes?"

"Oh, Neverland, I haven't even started! Literally the only social media account I have is GraceBook, and I only use it to post pictures! How am I supposed to write a 500-word paragraph about media etiquette?!"

The albino laughed at me nervously, but he seemed to be glad about my rant. "Yeah, I know right?! Anyway…what brings you here?"

"Oh, um…" I attempted to formulate a lie. "I thought Dude was with you. I wanted to go take him for a walk."

"Ahh, sorry, he's asleep." The boy smiled, as if happy about the fact.

I pouted, crossing my arms. "Awww…!"

"Heh! Maybe later, then?"

"You better let me have time with him!" I huffed, turning to leave.

"I will, I will! Oh, hey, Pen?"

"Hm?"

I saw Carlos rub the back of his neck. "I know it's too early, but save me a dance at Castlecoming?"

I felt a smile tug on my lips. Ever since he had asked me to join him to dance after Ben's Coronation, we've managed to save each other a dance after every party after that. It was like a routine. "Duh!"

Satisfied with the answer, the boy waved as I walked out.

Okay, I knew something was up with the VKs, but I could tell they were still too secretive to tell truths. Especially around me, I reckon. They barely knew me, after all.

* * *

A few days before Castlecoming, I was walking through the dorm rooms when I found Mal and Evie's door wide open, as they were chatting about something. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Pen!" Evie beamed, and Mal turned to smile at me. "Perfect. You can pick up your dress too."

"Ooh, neat!"

I went inside and Evie handed me my dress. I placed it over myself, finding myself smiling. I never really liked dresses, but the girl seemed to have magic that made me find them at the very least acceptable. "It's so pretty. As usual!"

"Thanks~" Evie grinned. "Can't wait to see you use it during Castlecoming~"

"Me too. So, what's up guys, hope I didn't intrude on anything."

"Oh, don't worry," Mal said. "We were just talking."

I forced a smile, choosing not to push it. "Nice, nice. How are you guys coping in Auradon?"

"It's going great." Judging from the girl's tone, she seemed sincere. However, I did feel an edginess in her voice…which made me confirm she _was_ hiding something.

"Great," I forced a laugh. "Well, I'll see you guys around!"

"Next time, it'll be at the party." Evie winked and I chuckled.

"Right, right, see you." I turned and left the room.

I had to admit, I was awfully curious about what they were going to do…

* * *

Saturday morning came around, and I woke up extra early to greet my father. Everyone's parents were visiting their kids here at Auradon Prep, and I knew my dad would come in earlier than most to avoid crowds and standing out. His car pulled up in front of the school entrance, and I ran immediately towards it. As I watched his mop of brown hair pop out of the vehicle, I tackled him into a hug.

"Whoa!" Peter Pan laughed as I let my arms squeeze his waist, with me not even caring if it was going to wrinkle his green suit. He then hugged me in return after anyway. "Hey there, little shadow!"

"I missed you!" I cried out.

My young dad chuckled again and ruffled my hair. "I missed you too, Penelope. But we visit each other more than three times a year anyway!"

"It's not the same without you! Also, did you bring me back anything."

Dad burst out laughing, that he almost let out a rooster crow as he did. He reached back into the car and handed me a bright green leather jacket. On the back, there was a printed picture of the red feather he used to wear on his hat as a kid. The pockets and cuffs were also red. The smile on my face brightened upon seeing the new article of clothing.

"Wow!"

"I had it personalized by Rapunzel herself," Dad proclaimed proudly. "Who knew sixteen years alone can give you a set of skills?"

"Thanks Dad!" I hugged him again before pulling the jacket on.

"You excited for the game?"

I grinned wickedly. Dad and I both knew that at this point, we were going to be cheering for opposite ends of the Tourney game since he was technically a founder of the Lost Boys, and was going to be rooting for his old mates. And though they were my friends in a way as well, I was still going to have to root for Auradon Prep. "You bet I am!"

Dad's infamous mischievous smile crossed his face. "Alright then~ May the best team win! Ahemmineahem."

"Hey!"

I playfully punched my father's shoulder, and we laughed, making our way to the dining hall. Even though we were pretty early, we still chose to stay a while and chat until everyone else began to pile in. We watched everyone's parents and their children gather around, greeting each other. Some even said hello and chatted a bit with us. I saw my roommate Lonnie meet her parents, Li Shang and Mulan. Just when my dad was about to talk about meeting a crocodile, they went up to us.

"Penelope!"

"Lonnie!" I gave my friend a quick hug, and I turned to her parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Li!"

"You know it's just Mulan and Shang, Pen," the older woman laughed, reaching out to shake my hand, and her husband did the same. Lonnie gave a wave to my dad.

"Hey Mr. Peter!"

"It's Pan to ya," my dad joked, winking. I rolled my eyes friskily.

"Save a seat for me for us at the game later?" I felt a twinkle grow in my brown eyes.

"Yeah!"

Lonnie beamed brightly at me until she turned and we saw Mal enter the hall. "Ooh, there's Mal! Mom, Dad, that's Maleficent's daughter, the one I told you about!" She then began to pull her folks away from mine and my dad's table.

As we watched the purple-haired girl encounter everyone's parents, we realized she was also making her way to our place, once she'd finished greeting them all. "Good morning, Pen," she said curtly. "Oh, is this your dad?"

"Peter Pan!" My dad outstretched his hand, to which Mal shook. "My daughter has told me all about you in your letters."

"It's nice to know your daughter speaks well of me."

"Ahem, I'm here!" I piped up, making Dad chuckle. "Cutting the formalities, you must be tired from all the meeting-and-greeting.

A bit shocked that I'd reacted in such way, Mal still slumped her shoulders in a bit of relief and gave a light laugh. "Oh, you bet! But, it's my job, I guess."

"It's not your job to do anything!" my dad retorted. "Just be yourself."

"Oh no. But I might get sent to the Isle." We all began to laugh heartily at that. "Well, the game's starting. You guys gonna get in there? I mean, one of the team's yours, isn't it, Mr. Peter?"

"Yep," Dad beamed smugly once again. "Penny and I made a bet."

"He owes me thirty dollars," I explained.

"We don't know who won yet!"

"You know you're giving me money anyway! It's my monthly allowance!"

Mal snorted again, a smile on her lips. "Good luck, you two. See you later tonight!"

"Right!" I waved at her as she walked away, and then looked up at Dad. "Shall we go?"

He locked arms with me, despite him being a full head taller than me, and grinned. "We shall."

* * *

In the end, the Knights won, and it was actually a close call. Dad surrendered me his money scornfully. Although I was overall proud of the team's victory, I couldn't help wishing Ben had been a part of it. Without him being around all the time, things were generally not the same without him.

Dad had to leave early, so he gave me a quick hug and promised to send me more letters and packages. Satisfied by the deal, we said our goodbyes and he was off on his next adventure. After that, I instantly went to go change into my dress for the party.

I entered the ballroom, smiling at how festive everything looked. The decorating committee really found a way to sport all the school spirit we had. Gold and blue ribbons hung everyone, and I've never seen so many balloons. I had a glimpse of the tourney team, and I admit they all looked dashing in their suits. I saw Chad skulking by the punch bowl, so I went over to tease. "Did you lose your glass shoes on the way here?"

The son of Cinderella scowled. "I'm just waiting for Audrey."

I took the punch from his hands, sipping it before he could even protest. "Don't you think she's going to break up with you soon? I mean, you're getting too into the prince role. You could be boring at this point. No offense."

The prince gasped, the offense quite taken. "Audrey would never! …Would she…?"

"Hey," I saw Carlos walk up to us as Chad's eyes widened. "What's…happening?"

I found an excuse to leave and locked my arm in Carlos'. "Oh, nothing~" I sang. "Let's not waste this party here."

Although he looked confused, he still smiled. "Yeah!"

We took to the dance floor and began to rave to the music.

Dancing with the boy was always fun. He always had new moves to show off, and he was an excellent dancer. Being with him was one of the only times I got to stand out, too. "You're awesome at this!" I shouted over the music.

"Really?" he shouted back warily. "I usually just wing it! I've never considered myself much of a dancer!"

"Poppycock! You're amazing!"

I could almost see him flush underneath the lights. "Thanks!"

When the music turned into a slow dance, I thought he was going to flush even more. I chuckled and placed my hands on his shoulders, and his on my waist. "I'm terrible, just saying," I warned.

The son of Cruella shook his head. "I don't think so. Still, step on my toes as much as you want." Chuckling lowly, we swayed gradually to the music.

Just when I thought I would as he spun me around, I saw Jay approach us and tap my dance partner's shoulder. "Uh, I'm headed out," he said. "I'm not feeling too well. What about you?"

Carlos paused. "…Right! I, uh, I'm not feeling well either. Sorry, Penelope…" He clutched his middle and pretended to double up in pain.

I blinked. Now that was weird. "It's okay…but are you?"

"I'm fine, I think I just have to lie down now."

"Wait, how is it that both of you suddenly got sick?"

"I don't know, it must be infectious, 'cause Evie and Mal got it too!" I saw Carlos nudge Jay in the ribs, causing him to groan more in pain.

 _That_ just rose my suspicions. "Did you guys eat something at the party?"

"Uh, yes!" Carlos smiled nervously. "Must be the clams. Better watch out for those!"

However, I knew for a fact that we didn't have clams because Ally clearly suggested she didn't want any. Not after she'd heard that story Tweedledee and Tweedledum told her mother.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Pen!" Jay promised, tugging on Carlos' arm. "Come on man, don't want us throwing up on the floor and ruining the party!"

Although the albino seemed hesitant to leave, he let Jay pull him along, still clutching his stomach as he waved goodbye.

This 95% confirms all my suspicions. I had to know what they were up to. Once they were out of the room, I quickly trailed after them.

I was surprised to see that once they were out of plain sight, the boys straightened up and ran for the parking lot. _'What?'_ Carlos told me once that he knew how to drive, so maybe they were off somewhere. I saw the Jay place a chauffeur's cap on the boy's head, as well as a fake earpiece. He also brought out keys to the _limousine_ and unlocked it.

' _Hold on,'_ I thought fervently. _'Were they stealing it? No, Jay has keys…did Ben allow this or something?'_

I saw Audrey and Lonnie approach the boys a moment later. Wait a minute, those weren't Audrey and Lonnie… _'Mal and Evie?'_

Okay, this was bad now. The fact that they were taking a royal vehicle and had to be disguised while they were doing so meant that they were probably up to no good. And they were just doing so well in fitting in too! What were they _up to?_

I didn't care if I had to run in a short skirt. I was wearing my boots, per usual, if I had the chance to follow these four, I'd do it.

So I did. Once they were all inside, I made a run for them.

Thankfully for me, I didn't have to go very far. I was hiding in the bushes when I saw Ben's royal carriage pull up, blocking the limo's way. The King stepped out of his carriage while Audrey—no, Mal stepped out of hers. As they chatted, the windows rolled down and the rest of the group waved.

' _Okay, so they're in trouble, now what?'_ I tried to carefully listen to their conversation.

And so, I felt my eyes continue to widen about the stories of mysterious messages, Anti-Heroes, the Dark Net, and missing villains.

I could feel Ben carefully decoding and taking all this information in. "So now you're all headed back to the Isle of the Lost."

"We have to, we have to see what's going on."

"I see…and you weren't going to tell me; why?"

"We didn't want to get you in trouble – with your subjects, I mean. Everyone's a little nervous ever since the Coronation, and we didn't think it would look good for you if you knew we were going back to the Isle of the Lost, especially with the embargo and all."

"Hmmm…okay."

"Okay? You're not mad?"

"No, why should I be? You're not doing anything wrong…well, except maybe Jay shouldn't have tricked Jordan out of the keys, you and Evie shouldn't be pretending to be Audrey and Lonnie, and Carlos shouldn't be driving without a license." Okay, now I was stumped.

"You're not going to stop us?"

" _Hold the phone."_

I couldn't help myself. I jumped out from my hiding place, and everyone whirled in my direction. Carlos was the first to react. _"Penelope?"_

"What are you doing here?" Ben exclaimed, quickly taking a leaf that stuck out of my ponytail.

"I knew something was up," I huffed, crossing my arms. "I mean, sorry to raise doubt, but I couldn't help myself. I had to follow you guys. That's just what I do!"

"I'm glad we never met around the first few weeks we were in Auradon," Mal deadpanned.

"You were right, Carlos," I heard Jay whisper. "She cracked us."

"You're just letting them go off alone?" I shot a glance at Ben. "It's the Isle of the Lost, and I'm pretty sure they're hated over there now! What if they get in trouble or something?"

"We got it covered, Penny," Evie tried to reassure. "We promise we can handle ourselves."

"You're talking to VKs here," Mal pointed out.

"However," Ben put in. "If you're that worried, maybe you should join them."

" _What?"_ Carlos exclaimed.

"As much as I want to," I interrupted the albino before he could protest. "I can't."

"Why not?" the King questioned.

"One, I'm not dressed for it—"

Jay scoffed. "Since when did you care?"

"Since I know for a fact sparkly dresses will definitely stand out on the Isle. And I don't _do_ stand out. Second, _someone's_ gotta make sure it's not like you guys disappeared. And also keep watch over the Dark Net biz with Ben. Send us the link, aight?

"Thanks, Pen," Mal seemed a bit relieved. I'm not sure whether it was over the fact I wasn't going or I was just another person helping with the secret. "Sorry to have you do this, though."

"Meh, I'm used to doing things for people. And frankly, for a third thing, I feel like I'd just weigh you guys down. Anyway, back to Ben."

"Huh?" the King stared at me.

"You're back very late."

"Oh…I know, I know, and really, I'm sorry. But there was this issue." He turned to the VKs. "I'm glad I caught you guys, though. I wanted to tell you, strange things are happening, and not just on the Isle of the Lost. In Auradon too."

"You mean like the earthquakes?" Male asked.

I then watched the couple exchange a brief conversation regarding the unusual weather patterns that have been happening throughout the country, and the bringing up of the giant creature that seemed to be wreaking havoc in Camelot. I do hope King Arthur and his son would be alright…

The two then hugged after the King had offered he would do all he could to help out. "Thanks, Ben."

"Hey, don't forget me!" After Ben pulled away, I proudly placed my elbow on his shoulder. As if I could reach it. "Whatever he does, I follow." The couple chuckled.

"Right. Again, thank you Pen. This means a lot."

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I think we're good."

Ben hugged Mal one more time, and helped her into the car. I walked to the driver's window and saw Carlos roll it down. "Sorry I couldn't tell you the truth back there," he said, apologetic.

I only bumped my knuckle against the side of his forehead lightly. "You owe me another slow dance," I huffed, but still couldn't help the smile on my lips.

The son of Cruella smiled back. "I know."

"Be careful, guys."

"We will. Promise."

"Good luck," Ben said, from the other side of the limo. "And good game, by the way. Nice work. I caught the highlights on _TourneyCenter."_

"Thanks, man," Carlos called while Jay bumped fists with Ben through the passenger window.

He reached for Mal's hand through her window. "I'll see you Monday." I loved seeing how sweet they were together, to be completely honest. He motioned to the carriage drive to get out of the way, so the limo could pass the gates.

"Ben!" We looked to see Mal call after her boyfriend. "If you do catch the purple dragon…" She paised.

"Yes?"

"Don't hurt it, okay?"

Ben nodded. "You have my word."

Once the limo was out of sight, I punched my friend's shoulder.

" _Ow! What was—"_

"Nothing. Just good to have you back."

Ben gave a sarcastic laugh, but we then hugged in sincerity after. "Yeah. Good to be back."

* * *

The next morning, Lonnie was brushing her hair in front of the mirror when I woke up. I rubbed my eyes, reaching for a comb. "Good morning," the Chinese greeted. "Where did you go last night?"

I sighed. After last night, I just went instantly back to my dorm and crashed. Running after a car was quite a workout. "Ah, I got a bit tired. Sorry."

"Had fun dancing last night?" A smirk played on my friend's lips, and I knew she knew I'd only danced a few times, and they were all with one person.

I stuck my tongue out at her childishly. I threw on some clothes, said goodbye, and went off to find Ben.

It was the weekend, so I expected not many people would be here in school today, but there were. Some liked to spend their days still within the school, just hanging out with their friends. Me, I spent my days like any other day, walking around and examining people. Some said hi, some didn't notice I even bumped into them. That was just the way I rolled.

As I found my way at Ben's room, I saw Lumiere with Ben, and I had to assume he was giving orders or something. _'Shoot,'_ I thought. _'Bad timing.'_

Or, maybe it was, because once I arrived, the old candelabra whirled around and was spooked to see me. "Oh, forgive me, Penelope!" I shrugged. It's not like I was not used to that.

"Good morning, Pen," the king greeted, as I waltzed into his room like I owned it. Well, I almost did. I spent many a day playing tag with Ben here while former King Beast worked on his papers. "What's up?"

"What was that all about?" I inquired, jabbing my thumb in the direction Lumiere went.

"Pen, look at this." Ben gestured me to come closer, and she showed his laptop with the Dark Net on it, as well as the mean-looking pictures of the four VKs' faces crossed out. My eyes widened at that. He then showed me the letter brought to him by Archimedes the owl, and I frowned.

"Charmington? What's the creature doing there?"

"I have no idea. But I'm taking Chad with me because he knows the place well. Once we get a sample of the creature, I'm gonna have to take it to the fairies to examine."

"You mean—"

"We're heading to Neverland at some point, yes."

The idea made me want to squeal. "I'll get my emergency pixie dust!"

Ben chuckled. "No, Penny, no magic. But, I'll keep you updated on the creature. I have to head down to the Cove. Remember our plan to protect the VKs' disappearance."

"You got it."

I basically spent the day telling people that the villain kids were sick and they couldn't be visited unless they wanted to be infected from the flu. It wasn't that difficult to lie to Auradonians. They could believe anything. And I kind of expected Ben to be back quickly. If he was taking Chad out somewhere early on a Sunday, this trip of his shouldn't take very long.

* * *

Sure enough, he'd returned, dropping Chad off at his dorm before he went to pick me up. I made sure to wear my favorite Neverlandian outfit: a white tiger onesie that made me feel as if I was a real Lost Girl that belonged in Peter Pan's ragtag group of Lost Children. Father sent it over when I was ten (because I used to wear a regular tiger pelt when I was still a baby and this was basically an upgraded version) and needless to say even though I was already fifteen, I still seemed to fit in it. Ben chuckled a bit when I got into his car.

"Nice outfit."

I scoffed. "The fairies will recognize me. You'll see!"

We were at Neverland by midafternoon, with me complaining about the bridge installment leading to my old home, making it boring to travel there. It seemed like my complaints had distracted Ben though, because next thing we knew we were beside some tepees.

"You made a wrong turn didn't you—"

"Shhh," Ben hushed, examining his map. _'We're lost,'_ I sighed to myself.

Thankfully, an old friend of mine appeared from the bushes. Tiger Lily's daughter, Tiger Peony, beamed once she'd seen me and gave me a big bear—er, tiger hug.

"Penelope!" she cried. "You've returned!"

I chuckled and hugged the girl. It may have been lonely on Neverland, but that didn't mean I still didn't make friends. Plus, I liked to visit from time to time, so I made some friends along my childhood, even though I was living in Auradon. "It's nice to see you, Peon. How's your mom?"

"She's fine. Leading a tribe has its perks, but I'm not looking forward to doing what she does." She looked over my shoulder and smirked when she saw the king. "Hey, Ben. Come to gloat?"

"Excuse me-? Yeah, sorry about that. Lost Boys played hard."

"I kinda feel bad I bet against my Dad," I joked, and Tiger Peony scoffed.

"Everyone's bummed. Mom's already sworn to train a bunch of new recruits. What are you guys doing here?"

"We're headed to Fairy Vale," Ben explained. "And—"

"We got lost." I interrupted.

"No way! Okay, maybe a little."

Tiger Peony chuckled. "Lost Girl finally got lost. What a headline."

"It was Ben's fault!" I whined.

"You kept complaining! And besides, I brought you here so you could guide me!"

We ended up sticking our tongues out at each other, like children, and ended up laughing as well, with Peony joining. Ben turned to the Indian again. "Anyway, can you show us the right way?"

"Sure. Are you here about the dragon?"

"How do you know?"

"Everyone knows. It's Maleficent, isn't it?"

"Actually, we don't know for sure. That's why we're here."

The girl didn't ask for anything more and pointed back down the forest. "You just make a left at the waterfall instead of a right, and the road should take you straight to the Great Oak in the vale. They'll be waiting for you."

"Thanks, Peon," I said gratefully.

"Don't mention it! Please make sure to visit often, Pen."

Ben and I then went on our way to the Vale. The fairies there were quite eager to visit me and Ben. I recognized some fairies of my childhood, and even one that I grew up with. Faylinn Chime flew up to us, and smiled sweetly. "Pen! So nice to see you."

"Hey, Fay," I beamed in return.

"What can we do for you two?"

"The three good fairies sent me," Ben explained. "They said you might be able to help me with a problem we're having." There was a large oak table, and we both took a seat by it.

"We heard about Camelot's dragon. Is the creature still at large?"

Ben nodded, and I examined the oak teaset. "And if I'm right, it was just in Charmington this morning." He removed something from his pocket – a handkerchief? – and revealed a bright purple scale in it.

"Is that from the dragon?" I asked.

"No, it was from the creature in Charmington. They say it was from a serpent actually."

Faylinn picked the scale up and showed the other fairies. "Looks like it to me."

"I need to know if it's from Maleficent."

The golden-haired fairy hesitated. "We can check the archives. We fairies have cataloged every kind of creature across every kingdom in Auradon, so if it's from Maleficent, we'll be able to tell you for sure." She placed the scale back in the handkerchief and gestured to the fairy next to her. "Take this to Lexi Rose, and have her run a few tests to see if it matches anything we have in our database."

"Thank you."

Once that conversation, I was absent-mindedly paying attention to the rest of it. I got up from the oak seat, and began examining the rest of the tree. It had been a very long time since I visited the vale, much less encounter any fairies. So when I began to walk, a lot of them began to flutter around me. Some of them that I've never met have met before must've recognized me because I looked a lot like my dad. That, and probably because they smelled my blood in him. I smiled to myself. I would have loved to live the life my father lived, if I ever got the chance…

"Penelope!" I heard Ben call. His head was looking around for me but stopped when he noticed the fairies. "Oh! Sorry to disturb?"

"It's alright," I assured. "Any luck?"

"Well, we're definitely here a while. Might as well keep ourselves busy." He checked his watch. "Actually, I'll be talking with the fairies about their results later on, so I guess you can hang around Neverland until all business is done."

That's when I beamed. "You really mean it?"

The young king chuckled. "Of course. You deserve it. Go have fun."

So that's exactly what I did. I quickly gave him a big hug and went off into the land.

* * *

For the rest of the hour, I climbed trees, greeted Indians, played mudball fights with Lost Boys, played a few pranks on some young pirates, and even got a chance to fly in the air with the use of the pixie dust some fairies gave me. Long story short, I'd never felt so _alive. This_ was the life of a true Pan. This is the life I wanted to have fulfilled. But I barely had the chance to.

However, as I was sitting up in a tree and was (dramatically) looking out into the land, I realized all that I couldn't do if I stayed. I wouldn't have been so close with Ben. I wouldn't have met Lonnie, who was as close to me as Ben. The three of us were kind of like siblings, and Lonnie and I treated each other like the sisters we never had. I wouldn't have met, Mal, Evie, Jay…Carlos… And everyone else.

I frowned as I tucked my knees into my arms. I suppose this was worth it. Having moments like these are always great. They were the adventures I had, and knowing me, all I wanted to do was have adventures like my father.

Yet, deep down, I knew. My true adventures were elsewhere, and with other people.

" _Penelope! We better get going!"_

That was my cue to leave. _'I'll be back, once again, Neverland,'_ I thought. Then I flew over to Ben, ready to go back home.

' _Hmm…I wonder how the VKs are doing…'_

* * *

Ben explained to me everything he found out about, and that he needed to head over with Merlin to the mines ASAP. "So, sorry if I don't have time to bring you back to school."

I smiled, actually pretty happy about that. "It's no big."

We drove over to the mines, where Merlin was there with us, seeming cheery now that he had his wand and magic back. After Ben introduced us, the old wizard gave a wave of his wand, as if making sure it still worked after two decades. "Now, let's go take on that creature!"

Ben and I exchanged a worried look as we followed. "The mine starts down here," my friend said. "Are we sure this is necessary?"

"Let's just see how deep it goes, and where it leads. It couldn't hurt!"

"That's what they all say." I sighed.

"Ben!"

The three of us paused. Wait, we knew that voice… "Mal? Is that you?" Ben called out, shining his flashlight.

"It is! It's all of us!" That's when we saw the purple-haired girl appear out of the darkness.

"You're alive!" I cried out. "Wait, that was bad…"

The two only laughed as Ben hugged his girlfriend. "What are you guys doing out here? Where did you come from?"

"I'll tell you everything! We have so much to tell you!"

We laughed when Evie, Jay, and Carlos began to emerge. Ben shook Jay's hand and slapped him on the back and gave Evie a quick hug, while I found myself practically tackling Carlos. The albino seemed stunned at first, but he almost instantly returned the gesture. "We're so glad you guys are safe," I said breathlessly, pulling away to quickly hug Evie and Jay.

Carlos chuckled at me, his freckled cheeks slightly pink. "Yeah, you have no idea."

Merlin cleared his throat before I could try to hug Carlos again. Ben blushed as he pulled away from Mal. "Uh right. This is Merlin, and you know Grumpy."

"Do you know my son, Gordon?" Grumpy instantly asked after grunting. "He's at Auradon Prep with you all."

"We know Doug," Evie replied.

The dwarf huffed. "Everyone knows Doug. Just like his father, too popular." Evie giggled.

Ben then began to tell everyone what he told me, about the dragon scale and all. Mal and the others then told us about their journeys in the Isle, as well as something about their parents' talismans? I listened patiently, biting my lip nervously. "So Yen Sid was right, the Catacombs go all the way to Auradon," Carlos said.

"We were just at Maleficent Mountain," said Mal. "There was a dragon's nest on top of Doom Crag, but we didn't see a dragon back there."

"You guys," I frowned. "I knew it was dangerous there! By the second star, we're really lucky you came back!"

"We told you we could handle ourselves," Jay said triumphantly, though I felt like at some point in his adventure, he'd already broken his pride.

"We're closer than we've ever been, though," Ben said. "The creature must live here, and it's been getting to Auradon through this tunnel."

And just like that, purple mist enveloped the cavern, and we all froze.

"It's here," Merlin said. "The creature is here. Show yourself!" As the wizard held his wand high, I found myself stepping back, coincidentally in front of the VKs.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Mal shouted.

"I am King Ben of Auradon and I command you to reveal yourself to us!"

"Yeah!" I screeched. "Whatever they said!"

And so, the creature did. The mist began to form…but where we expected an animal of sorts, there stood an old woman with wild, scraggly purply hair once she appeared in plain sight.

"Madam Mim!" Mal seemed to know the person instantly. I looked from her to the old woman, clearly dazed.

"Hello, dearie!" The woman named Madam Mim gave a cheerful wave.

"You know her?" Ben asked.

"From the Isle of the Lost."

"Wait…Madam Mim…" If I remembered my Fairy Tales correctly… "The old rival of Merlin!"

The old wizard sniffed. "Oh, I wouldn't actually call her a rival—" He cleared his throat. "Hello, old friend. I thought I might see you here, Mim. Up to your old tricks, are you? I'm sorry to say that your mischief ends now."

Madam Mim only laughed, and her cackled echoed throughout the cavern. "Oh, I don't think so, you old geezer, I'm having way too much fun!"

From that, she turned into a large purple dragon. I had seen Maleficent in her dragon form before, and I was certain Mim's own was _not_ exactly like that. Mal seemed to read my thoughts because she turned to Ben, rolling her eyes. "You thought this was my mother?"

Ben laughed nervously. "She was up in the sky, it was hard to see. I don't know, blame magic?"

We let Merlin fight the fight. Honestly, everything was pretty much a blur. I don't remember much of what happened, and frankly, I wouldn't want to. I just remember running for my life and a lot of history repeating itself. I _do_ remember Ben threatening her with Excalibur though. And Merlin sent her back to the Isle and finally closed off the Catacombs entrance permanently.

Finally, peace once again.

"Let's go home," Ben said, reaching for Mal's hand.

"Sounds like a good plan," Mal squeezed the king's in return. "You guys ready."

We all nodded.

"About time," Jay huffed. "We've got class tomorrow."

"And homework tonight," said Carlos.

I sighed, crossing my arms. "After all that commotion, it seems kinda sad that's all we're worried about now…"

"I hope our feeds updated correctly," Evie put in. "Right now we're all supposed to be in bed, sneezing from the flu."

"Did someone say Sneezy? I'm Grumpy."

I chuckled. "Don't worry guys. Everyone completely fell for what I told them. They're all worried sick and are too scared to be near you. So don't be disappointed if everyone suddenly acts like you're villains again."

They all guffawed at that. "Thanks, Pen," Carlos beamed.

"Merlin?" Ben called. "Do you mind giving us a lift? Just this once?"

"If you could send me back to the Enchanted Wood, it would save me a carriage ride," Grumpy added.

"I'll be heading back to Camelot myself," Merlin said, shaking everyone's hands. "You make a good king, Ben." When the wizard said that, I patted my friend's shoulder, as if saying "told you so." "And you were right in the end, we didn't need magic to capture the dragon. Only diligence and courage, as you have shown."

"Thank you," Ben said, glancing at me while smiling. "That means a lot, coming from you. Although we did need magic to send her back to the Isle of the Lost, and to close that passage. And to go home."

"Details, details, who reads the fine print these days?" I had to laugh at that.

"So true!"

Ben scoffed at me, then handed Merlin the sword. "Will you give this back to Artie for me?"

"With pleasure!"

"Bye, Merlin," Mal said, and we all waved to him.

"Can we get going already?" Grumpy groaned.

Merlin rolled up his sleeves. "Return everyone here to where the need to be!"

* * *

Late Sunday afternoon, we noticed everyone was underneath the trees, either reading, playing, or just hanging out and chilling. "Home safe," Ben announced.

"Finally," I sighed.

Ben thanked the VKs, but said he needed to leave to update the councilors and everything. "See you in a bit." He gave Mal's arm a quick squeeze.

"Not if I see you first."

The King made his way to Beast castle, and I stepped back, spreading my arms out as I grinned at the group. "Well."

They all smiled and Carlos chuckled. "Well. I guess that's it for now."

"Not quite, we still need to figure out how we're supposed to get rid of these talismans."

I shrugged. "Meh, you can deal with those tomorrow."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Jay joked.

"I need a nap," Evie yawned.

"Aww come on, let's have a quick look at what everyone's doing first," I gestured to the residence halls. From afar, as we strolled over to them, we could already see Jordan and Jane lounging on towels and Audrey and Chad having a little picnic. The AKs waved, and I sat down beside Jane as Chad talked to Jay.

"Where were you?" the daughter of the Fairy Godmother questioned. "We couldn't find you all day?"

"I was doing business stuff with Ben," I smiled, feeling happy that I could proudly say that. "Also, look! The guys are all better!"

"Oh, great," Jordan smirked.

"Oh, Jordan," Jay began. "About what happened in your lamp the other day, with the limousine keys. Sorry about that. I returned them to Ben, though."

"It's all right. I figured you must have needed them badly enough if you had to wish for them."

"See you guys later." Mal called out, ready to leave.

"See you," I said, winking at Mal. "Get a lot of rest." The purple-haired girl smirked and gave a curt nod.

"I'm going to stay a bit," Carlos said, sitting beside me.

"Me too," Jay said, taking a seat beside Jordan.

The villain girls seemed to smile smugly when hearing that, but said nothing and left. I smiled at Carlos. "Don't you want to rest?"

The albino only shrugged and returned a grin. "Meh, this is relaxing enough."

All of us lay beside each other, saying nothing for the rest of the hour.

* * *

The next day, late that afternoon, I caught up with the VKs. Like last week, they just decided to sit around me even though most kids knew I usually sat alone at my table. But I appreciated they chose to give me some company and update me on what happened with their parents and all.

"Good luck destroying the talismans," I said. "You might want to do it after the Seaside Festival happening in a few days. It's gonna be wicked!"

"Wicked is my middle name," Mal smirked.

"Oh, like Carlos' is Oscar?" Evie giggled.

"Your middle name is Oscar?" I looked at the albino, a mischievous smile on my lips.

The de Vil only shrugged. "It's not something I keep a secret."

Jay smirked. "Yeah, maybe you should." We all laughed at that.

"But really," I started again. "You guys have done so much for us here in Auradon. I know. I can tell. Even if all of Auradon doesn't say it, I hope you know we're all grateful. This country is lucky to have you four kids."

At that, the group beamed brightly. "That's sweet of you to say, Pen," Evie said charmingly.

"Thank you as well," Carlos said, his smiles continuing to grow wide.

I smiled in return. "I do hope the next adventure won't be too dangerous though."

"Danger is my middle name!"

"No, it's Oscar!"

I thought our laughter echoed throughout the room.

* * *

 **Hope you guys liked this! Next oneshot for "Rise of the Isle of the Lost" will be posted in "A Lost Girl" now! Stay tuned!**


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